Bondi Boost HG Shampoo Review: Does It Really Work?
I bought Bondi Boost HG Shampoo on a whim one day, on my lunch break. It was kind of expensive and promised to clean my hair and help it grow faster at the same time. But does it really work and it worth the price tag?
I have been using Bondi Boost HG Shampoo for years. It’s a bit on the expensive side but I find myself going back to it time and time again. This is why.
I bought Bondi Boost HG (hair growth) shampoo on a whim one day, on my lunch break, because I saw a pharmacy and couldn’t find a reason not to get it. I had been wanting to try it for a while but kept putting it off because the bottles are kind of pricey for the size. That day at the pharmacy, I caved. It was a moment of weakness, but I’m actually really glad I did.
I have fine hair that errs on the side of dry, but my hair usually also needs a product that foams. Without that, my scalp just doesn’t feel clean and my hair doesn’t sit right on my head. Honestly, day two hair starts looking like day four hair. It’s a real pain. So I’m cautious about what products I use. The issue with that is, a lot of shampoo that lathers has sulphate in it. And we don’t like that because it strips your hair of natural oils. We’re after hydrated curls and waves and a fresh scalp. Bondi Boost shampoo is good because, not only is it vegan and cruelty-free, it’s sulphate-free but somehow it actually foams and cleans your hair without drying out your hair completely. That’s a win, in my books.
Part of the selling point for this product is that it promotes hair growth. That’s not why I bought it, but it’s a bonus if it works.
Before
Before I started with Bondi Boost, I was mostly using Shea Moisture Castor Oil shampoo, which was great but my hair gets sick of products quite quickly, so I need a few on rotation. If I keep using the same one, my hair ends up looking knotty and generally terrible. So I like to try new ones. My hair was getting really tired of Shea Moisture (which is nothing on the brand, I love their products) so Bondi Boost seemed to be a good alternative to test out.
Review
The instructions say to use a small amount on wet hair, lather and rinse, so that’s what’s I did. The first thing I noticed was that the product is almost transparent and smells like overwhelmingly peppermint — a unique choice for shampoo, but I rolled with it.
As per the directions on the bottle, I rubbed a small amount between my fingers and worked it into my scalp only. It lathered immediately. A little went a long way.
I used a bit more for the back of my scalp, made sure it was properly dispersed — it was really easy to work into my scalp — then rinsed it out. It came out easily and I didn’t notice any residue leftover. My hair felt clean, but not squeaky clean, and smelled mildly of peppermint.
I followed up with conditioner, but that’s for another review. Watch this space!
Result
My hair felt clean, my scalp felt cleansed, and my hair sat pretty well on my head. That is to say, it didn’t feel oily or part in weird places like it does on day four, for example. It didn’t tangle more easily than usual, and it didn’t create extra frizz. My hair looked hydrated and voluminous.
My hair also didn’t get sick of Bondi Boost for a while. I would actually say it took a few weeks before my hair decided it had enough, which is a pretty good run. It’s now a permanent feature in my rotation of shampoos, and I find myself going back to it time and time again. I feel like it really cleans my scalp in a way a lot of natural shampoos don’t — they often leave residue, or an oily sheen because they don’t have sulphate, so Bondi Boost is a good reset and removes build-up.
One thing I will say is that it can make my hair feel quite dry if I use it for too long. It doesn’t have sulphate, but whatever else they put in it to make it lather the way it does is a little drying. Having said that, I do rotate shampoos so it’s not a huge problem for me.
verdict
On the whole, Bondi Boost is pretty expensive. At $34 for 250ml, it’s a lot for the average person to drop on a single product. However, a little does go a long way and I had my bottle for months before it ran out. I have repurchased this one, and I’ll probably do it again once my current one runs out.
I did not notice more hair growth. That’s honestly not why I bought it so I wasn’t paying too much attention to that, but I would have noticed if my hair grew faster than usual and it didn’t.
Have you tried Bondi Boost? Let me know in the comments below!
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Hairstory New Wash Review: Is it worth the hype?
New Wash promises to replace all your normal products — it cleanses, conditions, and works as a styler. It’s also formulated without detergents or foams which can damage your hair. It’s eco-friendly and cruelty-free. But does it work? Read on for my in-depth review.
Wondering whether to splash out and try New Wash by Hairstory? I tried it out so you don’t have to. Here’s what happened.
I’ve become a bit of a sucker for Instagram ads. Some are ridiculous, but others…well, I feel seen. So when I saw a woman on Instagram with very long and curly hair started talking about how New Wash was the best thing she’s ever tried, I watched that ad until the end. She said her whole family has swapped out their shampoos, conditioners, and styling products for this all-in-one miracle. Of course it’s an ad so I took it with a few grains of salt, but then I looked it up and there were thousands of really good, genuine reviews. I was sold.
My concern with every new product is that my hair will hate it, or my hair will feel amazing after the first wash and then decide it hates it from the second wash onward. It’s a constant battle, but I’ll always try something new hoping it’ll be my new holy grail. Cue: New Wash.
I was hesitant to give it a crack because, at $70 for an 8oz package — which the smallest package available — it’s really expensive. I subscribed to get the cost down by 10%, and because it came with free shipping and a free silicone scalp massager which I had never used before. It seemed like a good deal, all things considered. For that price, I wanted phenomenal results.
New Wash: A Review
According to the New Wash website, it’s not a co-wash because it has cleansing properties, but it has the consistency of a conditioner and you use it like you would co-wash. It’s supposed to replace all your normal products — it cleanses, conditions, and works as a styler. It’s also formulated without detergents or foams which can damage your hair. It’s eco-friendly and cruelty-free.
There are three versions — ‘original’ for all hair types, ‘rich’ for dry hair, and ‘deep’ for oily hair. I have a lot of hair but it’s very fine, wavy on top with coils at the bottom, and about forearm-length. It’s prone to dryness at the ends and tangles easily. I use a hair mask as my regular conditioner, but I can’t use products that are too conditioning because my hair gets over-conditioned and falls flat there’s no volume at all. That’s one of the reasons I don’t use co-washes, another is that I find they don’t cleanse my hair properly at the root and my hair feels oily and doesn’t fall right beyond day one.
For all those reasons, I was a bit skeptical about New Wash and really wanted to make sure I tried to right version. I had thought I might go with ‘original’ because any deeper conditioner at the roots could mean my hair was over-moisturised and flat. On the flip side, my hair could end up a dry mess if ‘original’ wasn’t conditioning enough. The struggle was real. Luckily, there was a very helpful quiz on the Hairstory website which helped me work out that I should probably get ‘rich’.
(Ingredients: Rich, deep, original)
Wash
New Wash comes in a bag, rather than a bottle, and smells like lavender. The product is thick and white and the instructions say to use as much of it as you would normally use of shampoo and conditioner combined. So that’s what I did.
As someone who doesn’t use co-wash, it felt pretty strange putting this thick product all over my scalp and raking it down my hair — it felt counterintuitive, really, but I stuck with it. I focused on my scalp to begin with and used the silicone scalp massager to make sure my head was cleansed. I then used a bit more product and applied it to the length, as I would with conditioner.
I was able to detangle my hair with relative ease with my fingers, before I finished it off with a brush. I then scrunched the product into my hair, like I normally would, but that step didn’t feel necessary. My hair was completely saturated with product — to the point where I probably used too much product. It felt quite heavy in my hair — a bit stiff, even, and I hoped that would go away once it was all washed out.
Some of the reviews I read suggested the product was quite difficult to wash out, and even the instructions on the packaging said to wash it out really, really well. So that’s what I did. I used the scalp massager to make sure it was all off my head, before I used my hards to really squeeze it out of my hair. Personally, I didn’t find it difficult to wash out.
Styling
I would normally apply a styling cream immediately after washing my hair, but I wanted to see if — like the woman in the ad — I could get away without additional products. She insisted that New Wash meant her hair was in perfect coils every morning. I was very skeptical, but gave it a shot.
I flipped my soaking-wet hair upside-down, as normal, and gently ran a comb through it to detangle. It was a bit harder without additional product in it for more slip, but I managed. I scrunched it and plopped with a microfibre towel. My hair still had the heavy and stiff texture that it had before I washed the product out.
I took the towel off about ten minutes later, shook my hair a bit and parted it like I normally would (I realise not everyone parts their hair after washing it, but mine doesn’t sit right if I don’t). The ease with which I can part my hair after washing is usually a pretty good indicator of how cleansed my hair is. If it’s not cleansed properly, it’s pretty difficult to part and clumps together. If it’s properly clean, this doesn’t happen and it separates at the part very easily. I didn’t find parting my hair difficult after New Wash. I scrunched my hair again, it still felt a bit heavy but I ignored it and got on with my day.
drying
My hair usually takes a few hours to air dry completely. I found plopping as usual after New Wash didn’t completely get the drip out of my hair, it really held on to the water, so my shoulders were a bit damp by the time I got to work. I find that can happen with thicker products. The smell of lavender was also quite strong when my hair was wet, but it disappeared once dry.
It probably took an extra hour to dry completely, which I didn’t really mind.
Result
The first time round, I was pretty happy with the result. That stiff and heavy feeling did disappear once my hair dried, which was a relief. My hair felt soft and mousturised, my scalp felt clean, and my hair still had volume. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the volume department so I was pretty impressed with that.
What I didn’t like was that my hair looked a bit frizzy at the ends, which I put down to not using a styling product. As a whole, I would say my hair did look a bit curlier than usual, and I think it held its curl for a bit longer than usual — into the next day. It looked okay on day two and three, but nothing amazing. It looked as I would normally expect day two and three hair to look, with a bit more curl on day two. For a product that replaced shampoo and conditioner, I was relatively pleased.
Second and third wash
This is where things went downhill. Sometimes, my hair likes a product one day and hates it the next. This is basically what happened with New Wash.
For the second go, I used less product than I did the first time and my hair detangled as easily as it had before. It still had that stiff feeling, but I knew it would go away so I wasn’t concerned. I did add a curl cream this time, and that really helped stop the frizz at the ends. My hair looked fine on day one, but it wouldn’t sit right on my scalp the following day, or the day after that. It felt a bit heavy, it lost some of its curls and waves and looked quite flat by the time I had to wash it again.
Nevertheless, I persisted and used New Wash again for a third time. Attempt three was a bit of a disaster. I repeated the process, using styling cream, and my hair did not like it. My hair wouldn’t sit on my scalp properly — it wouldn’t sit right along the crown in the way oily hair doesn’t sit right, but my hair wasn’t oily at all in this instance. The curls fell flat by day two and no amount of zhooshing would fix the way it sat on my scalp. The ends were tangled like steel wool and the knots started quite high up. Basically, I had to wash it again on day two because it looked and felt terrible. I washed it with shampoo and my usual Shea Moisture conditioner and the problem went away.
Verdict
I didn’t try it again after attempt three because I don’t want that to happen again. I probably will use it here and there, but only because I don’t want to waste it, and not on consecutive washes. Just because this did not work for me in the end, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you — it does have thousands of great reviews. My hair is very temperamental and I think that is partly to blame.
However, what I really struggle to understand is the cost.
Without the 10% subscription discount, the 8oz package costs AU$69, the 20oz package costs $155, and the 32oz package costs $236. I imagine it’s priced that way because it’s supposed to replace two other products — maybe that’s the amount you’d spend on shampoo, conditioner and stylers combined. But if the cost works out to be the same, what’s the point in replacing three products with one? Unless, of course, New Wash really worked for you and the results were significantly better than the products you would normally use.
I just feel, for that price, you’d want it to work miracles on your hair, walk the dog and do the dishes. If you had long and thick hair that required a lot of product, you’d spend a fortune.
I should say, there is is a $20 trial kit that I couldn’t access because I’m in Australia. I tested out a few countries on the website, including New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and various places in Europe and it appears this very affordable trial kit is only available for US customers…even though Hairstory ships to 34 other countries. If the trial was available to me, I definitely would have chosen it rather than a full-size package.
Have you tried New Wash? Let me know in the comments below!
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Review: Is Function of Beauty Skincare Worth It?
I absolutely love the Function of Beauty hair line, so when I found out about their new range of customized skin care, I was pretty keen to try it out. Here’s what happened.
I absolutely love the Function of Beauty hair product line, so when I found out about their new range of customized skin care I was pretty keen to try it out. Here’s what happened.
For anyone wondering what Function of Beauty is, it’s a brand of hair and body care that customize formulas based on each individual’s unique preferences. Everything is vegan and cruelty-free, and I loved the shampoo and conditioner and have just ordered the larger bottles (read my review here), and I really do think they’ve enhanced the health of my hair.
Queue skin range.
Before
I have been using the NueBar face wash bar as a cleanser and regular organic coconut oil as a moisturizer at night. I only wash my face once a day - because I think twice is too much for your skin - but I do rinse it with water in the morning and use either sunscreen (Ultra Violette is my fave at the moment), or a Vitamin C cream that I once got as a sample and haven’t used up yet. So my skin regimen is pretty low-key, but effective. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer.
I am quite pasty and I live in a hot country. Try as I might to protect my skin from the rays, you can’t shield yourself completely so I have quite a few freckles, some redness around my nose, and small amounts of sun damage here and there.
My skin often gets sick of products, which means I can use something great and it’ll work for a month, before it stops working and my face feels horrid - coconut oil is the only moisturizer I have used that my skin hasn’t suddenly rejected. My skin is quite smooth in texture, so when I cover it up with makeup, you can’t really see any uneven texture.
Function of Beauty Skin Care Review
Much like the hair products, I was asked to complete a skin quiz prior to my purchase to ensure the products would match my skin and that I would get the results I wanted. As with the hair quiz, there were visual aids so I understood how to answer each question, with little info boxes to spell it out for you if you don’t know what any of it means. It was all very quick, easy, and visually pleasing.
I was first asked whether I had dry, balanced, oily or combination skin, how much makeup I use daily and whether my skin is sensitive. I’ve never really had issues with dryness or sensitivity and I do wear makeup, so that is what I selected.
I was then asked what my #skingoals were from a reasonably extensive list. You can only pick three, but really they were all my #skingoals so it was a struggle. I opted to minimize redness, and brighten my aging facade with a touch of ‘anti-aging’ - whatever that means. I liked this section because, based on what you choose, up pops the active ingredient they will use to help you achieve your #skingoals. Mine said ‘Southern magnolia bark extract’. How fancy and exotic.
I then decided what name I wanted on all the bottles (I chose Charlotte…though the desire to have something ridiculous was real. And it really bothers me that I can’t capitalize my name. It’s a proper noun. I am a writer <screams on top of a mountain>). I also opted for no fragrance, sadly, because a main cause of irritation with skin products is scents (though I was curious to know what ‘dew’ smelled like. Apparently the aromas are reminiscent of cucumber. Who knew).
That question signified the end of my quiz experience and I was asked to choose what products I which products I would like, and in what form I would like them to arrive.
Of course, the company recommends you buy all three products.
But upon closer inspection, I saw they all claim to do very different things. I had the choice of a cleanser, which was a no-brainer - you need one of those - along with a serum and a moisturizer. If anything were to be eliminated for me, it would have been the serum because that’s one more step than I usually take when cleaning and hydrating my face, and there’s a moisturizer so serum seemed a bit redundant.
But they really sell it to you.
Not only is the serum the most expensive item on the list at $79.99 a bottle, it apparently has the highest concentration of #skingoal ingredients. So skipping out on the serum potentially means your skin won’t reap all the benefits of the customized range. Who wouldn’t get the serum after that? Nicely played, Function of Beauty.
With the cleanser I opted for a gel, I opted for the fragrance-free serum, and I chose a lotion moisturizer rather than a gel or a cream. I feel like the serum will probably be something of a gel and I feel like lotion hydrates your skin in a way cream doesn’t. Throughout this process, I had visuals on what my product bottles would look like when I selected the different options.
The whole bundle came to $189.99 (which is, frankly, outrageous), and I confirmed my purchase.
The Products
The products came in beautiful bottles. They were a nice weight, smooth, matte and pleasing to hold, and in colors that ombréd towards the top. I was pretty blown away by them, actually. The serum came with an eye dropper that fills itself every time you place it back in the bottle and screw the lid shut. Pretty nifty. The cleanser had a pump device, as did the moisturizer. The cleanser was the largest bottle, which indicates to me that you need to use more of it than the other two products.
Left to right: Moisturizer, cleanser (it did come with a lid, I just misplaced mine), and serum.
Cleansing
The instructions said to use the cleasner first. Because I said I wear makeup, my cleanser was supposed to strip the products off without stripping the skin of its natural oils.
I used one pump to start with and moved the cleanser in small circles over my skin with my fingers, as per the instructions. I quickly realized one pump would not be enough and had to use a second. To be honest, a third would probably have been the better option but it’s so expensive I couldn’t justify using three pumps on my face every day. Two did the job, and my face appeared makeup-free.
The thing I didn’t like about the cleanser was it looked like more of a cream, but it didn’t go the distance. There’s a watery texture to it which kind of makes it feel like it’s not doing very much. It doesn’t foam or anything and basically feels like washing your face with lotion. I wondered whether it was only getting rid of surface makeup and leaving remaining product in my pores. From experience, my skin needs something a bit grittier to be clean.
The Serum
The eye dropper thing is pretty nifty. The instructions say to use half a dropper per application, but first off it’s quite hard to control how much comes out, so I used a whole dropper to begin with. Second time around I learned to control it better and ended up with exactly half a dropper, and it was a good amount.
The serum is much more satisfying to use than the cleanser. It’s a touch milky in color, but feels thicker and like everything you imagine a serum might be. The instructions say to use it after the cleanser, and to literally press it in to your face instead of rubbing it in. So that’s what I did. Half an eye dropper does go the distance and it spread nicely over my skin. It felt hydrating and absorbed nicely over about a minute.
Moisturizing
I waited until the serum was all absorbed and dry before using one pump of the moisturizer on my face. I rubbed it in small circular motions, like the instructions said, without dragging it ‘down’ over my face. It’s supposed to lock in the serum and make sure it does the thing it’s supposed to do. Again, they’ve really made it so the serum feels like a vital step that you just can’t miss.
One pump was enough to coat my face, and it felt like it did what a moisturizer is meant to do. My skin definitely felt hydrated.
Results
My skin felt nice and smooth and moisturized the following day. It didn’t look any different, but the #skingoals changes happens over time so I didn’t read too much. But I will say that some products leave your face looking brighter, and this one did not.
I used the Function of Beauty skin care range consistently for a few weeks and I still didn’t see much of a difference. I continued to question whether the cleanser was cleansing properly and continued to resent that I really should have been using three pumps of the stuff instead of two. Having said that, because the cleanser feels strangely watery, I do not believe a third pump would have cleansed my face any better than two pumps did - it just would have spread a little easier.
I went back to my NueBar and coconut oil combination a couple of times for contrast, and I think coconut tones my skin quite a lot in ways I didn’t notice before. So my skin looked better after that than it did with Function of Beauty. The redness stayed the same (I think that’s genetic - a little like shadows under the eye or something, there’s not much that can realistically be done about that externally), anti-aging I guess it all about hydration, and it did feel hydrated, but no noticeable ‘brightness’.
Verdict
Would I buy it again? No.
For the astounding $189 price tag I expected the products to do quite a lot more than what I saw in the results. I did like the serum and perhaps I would get that again on its own, though I’m still not convinced it did what it’s supposed to do. The cleanser was the biggest let down, which is a real shame because what is a beauty range without a good cleanser? The moisturizer was fine, but for that price, it has to be more than fine. I do wonder how I would feel about these had I not tried coconut oil as a moisturizer, because compared with regular moisturizers, I guess Function of Beauty is better.
I still use the products from time to time because they do leave my face feeling smooth, and sometimes it’s nice to break up the routine, but I won’t be devastated when they run out. I think Function of Beauty managed their hair line so well that I did wonder how they could replicate something so successful. I know there are a lot of amazing reviews for these products, and everyone has a different experience, but I didn’t think they were all they were cracked up to be.
Have you tried the Function of Beauty skin care range? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!
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Vegan Hair Dye Review: Biokap vs Clairol Natural Instincts
Looking for a vegan, cruelty-free and curly gurl friendly hair dye that causes minimal damage to your hair? I compared Clairol and Biokap. Here’s what I found.
Looking for a vegan hair dye that causes minimal damage to your hair? I compared Clairol and Biokap. Here’s what I found.
I’ve been avoiding dying my hair with box dye for a loooong time, but with Henna taking upwards of two hours per month and not lasting a super long time, I needed to find an alternative that wouldn’t damage my very sensitive hair.
I know there are a lot of extra dyes that you can import from other countries, but when I look for a hair dye, I want something I can quickly grab off the shelf. I don’t want to have to plan my order months in advance, or worry that I don’t have any left for an event, or pay $50 in delivery fees. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to try some of the box dyes from other nations that are supposed to be amazing for your hair, but they cost a lot, shipping always takes forever, and they’re just not accessible for everyone. I want something affordable, that everyone can have a crack at. I got mine from Priceline.
After trying to research the hair dye brands available in Australia (options were limited, as always) and trying to find the vegan brands that were least likely to destroy my dye-sensitive hair (that aren’t henna - you can read my henna reviews here and here) I narrowed it down to two - Clairol Natural Instincts and Biokap.
Ingredients
Biokap is a small company that also makes cosmetics, and everything is vegan and cruelty-free. They use a lot of natural botanicals and proteins that strengthen your hair.
Clairol Natural Instincts is vegan, but being from a massive company that also makes non-vegan products, I don’t think they can call themselves cruelty-free. I also didn’t quite trust Clairol because it’s a very mainstream company, and - it felt like they were trying to turn a profit just by having a vegan range. I also didn’t trust them not to put terrible things in the product because they don’t hesitate with their non-vegan range - terrible things can still be vegan.
Both dyes are ammonia-free. Ammonia is toxic, and it’s the component in normal hair dyes that burns your eyes. It breaks the hair cuticle apart to allow color in. So on one hand you end up with a more vibrant result if you use ammonia, but if your hair is fine like mine, it will end up in terrible condition. Even if your hair is in good condition and takes hair dye well, ammonia will damage it over time. So that was a win for both products.
Clairol Natural Instincts comes with globes, developer, colour and conditioner
Biokap comes with gloves, developer, colour, conditioner and a cape
Sustainability
Biopkap is owned by Bios Line - a company founded in Italy in the ‘80s - dedicated to the creation of natural and environmentally-friendly products.
Biokap has a fleshed-out an environmental commitment on its website. The company brand is part of a zero impact scheme, aims to use recyclable packaging, uses solar panels to generate energy to power its factories, uses papers and cardboards from environmentally sustainable and certified plantations, pledges to never test on animals and supports a FRAME - a company developing alternatives to animal testing, with the goal of eliminating it in the cosmetics industry entirely.
Clairol is owned by Coty - an international company, founded in Germany in the early 1900s, that specializes in beauty products from big brands, including Burberry, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Rimmel…you get the idea. There is a sustainability statement on its website that basically says it has some 10-year goals going all the way to 2031. Which is great, but I also think big companies are expected to have an environmental statement these days to show they’re not behind the times. Nevertheless, the statement does say the company is trying to reduce emissions by 30% and energy consumption by 25% by 2030, along with switching to 100% renewable energy within that same time period. Considering how large the company is, those goals are fairly substantial.
The Clairol website is missing an environmental statement. The only mention of anything along that vein is the vegan hair dye range, which literally just says ‘vegan’.
Coty has some impressive goals and I don’t want to diminish the effort, but Bios Line was founded with goal towards sustainability so is has the upper hand in that department.
Are they Curly Girl-Friendly?
Strictly speaking, hair dye in general isn’t CG-friendly, but there are things you can do to ensure your dye isn’t going to kill off your curls.
I couldn’t find much online about whether Biokap and Clairol Natural Insticts are curly girl friendly, so I did my own research and punched the ingredients of both into Curlsbot - literally a bot that will analyze the ingredients in your favorite hair products and let you know what will dry your hair out, what is curly girl approved (click here if you don’t know what I’m talking about) and what harsh chemicals you should avoid entirely.
The screenshots below are pretty revealing.
Curlsbot results for Clairol Natural Instincts
Clairol Natural Instincts had red flags all over it. Along with weird silicones and sulfates, it had five different kinds of alcohol (they’re not drying alcohols, but five at once? Really?) and a tongue-twister mineral that stops your hair from absorbing moisture. Curlsbot ultimately recommended against Clairol.
Curlsbot results for Biokap
The Biokap ingredients were inconclusive because there was only one alcohol the bot couldn’t determine - phenetyl alcohol. From my own research, it’s an alcohol that occurs naturally in plants and has a rose-like scent. It can cause skin irritation, but it’s been tested on humans and a reaction is unlikely. If in doubt, test the dye on a small patch of skin first. It does exist in other cosmetics from other companies that are also deemed clean and vegan. That doesn’t mean it is, of course, but there were no red flags that I could see.
Aside from the one unknown, there were three approved alcohols, one approved cleaner and no red flags in Biokap.
Coverage
Henna does not have coverage that lasts a long time. This is because it’s a stain and doesn’t actually dye the star and - it coats it. Since I was supremely unlucky and started getting grey hair quite early (24, to be exact), I really wanted something to cover it up. I don’t have an issue with grey hair at all, but I my hair is naturally very dark and I just don’t think light colors suit my skin. I will probably embrace the grey when I’m older, but for now, I plan to cover it up.
I think most dyes these days have pretty decent coverage, but grey is the hardest color to cover because it has no pigment. Clairol claims to cover greys and, according to the review, it does a pretty good job.
Biokap also has good reviews in the coverage department so the competition there was fairly even.
Price
For box dyes, the difference is pretty substantial. Clairol is about $11 and Biokap is $25 - when you have to re-apply every six weeks, the costs do add up, but going to a salon every six weeks would be significantly more expensive. About $250 more, per session. Salon dyes are supposed to be better quality than box dyes, and I would say they are 9 times out of 10, but you still never really know - you basically have to trust whatever the colorist tells you.
I also believe you get what you pay for. I don’t want to spend $300 and three hours of my life in a salon chair every six weeks, but I would much rather pay an extra $14 for the box dye with better ingredients every six weeks if it mean’s my hair will be healthier in the long run.
Verdict
Unless you’re using henna, hair dye will damage your hair at the end of the day. The best thing you can do is avoid dye entirely, but there are steps you can take to ensure your hair doesn’t get as damaged as it could.
I ended up going with Biokap for a range of reasons - the main one being that Clairol has a bunch of harmful ingredients in it. I didn’t spend so long testing out henna to ruin my hair with one cheap box dye, so Biokap really won the competition on that front.
And (SPOILERS!) I did try out Biokap and my hair does feel a little different, but it doesn’t feel damaged so I do think I made the right choice.
Want to read my tried and tested Biokap review? Watch this space!
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Aveda Damage Remedy Review: How I fixed dry and damaged curly hair
I’ve struggled with trying to find the balance between hydrating and weighing my hair down, but I never used thick or leave-in conditioners because I thought they’d weigh my hair down and flatten my curls…until I discovered Aveda’s conditioner range. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them now. This is why.
I never used thick or leave-in conditioners because I thought they’d weigh my hair down and flatten my curls…until I discovered Aveda’s conditioner range. Now, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it. This is why.
I’ve struggled to find the balance between hydration and flat curls. I have really fine hair that goes limp easily if it’s overloaded with conditioner, but also knots easily and takes forever to detangle. During my last cut, the hairdresser said, ‘these ends! I comb them and they instantly turn to knots’. She then suggested sending me home with some leave-in conditioner. I was resistant because my hair does flatten really easily with heavy products, but she convinced me the one she was recommending (Baby Got Bounce, by Evo) was really light but effective.
She was right — it was light and it really did stop my hair from turning into a giant, tangled mess after a couple of days. I was more than surprised.
Life = changed.
Why did I resist this for so long? The downside was that Evo isn’t curly girl-friendly — full of silicones which would eventually leave my hair brittle and dry. I liked the results so much that I kept using it, but resolved to find a decent leave-in that was CG-friendly before too long.
Then I found Aveda — a range of natural, cruelty-free, organic hair products that my hair LOVES.
Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner
After cleansing my scalp with Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo, I reached for Aveda for the first time. The reviews said it was really hydrating, but that it would weigh hair down if it went too close to the scalp. I never put conditioner near my scalp anyway, but — to me — this meant it was a really heavy product with a tendency to flatten curls. I was hesitant, but the moment I started smoothing it through my hair, I was hooked.
I detangle with my fingers before using a detangling brush to make sure my hair is completely smooth and knot-free. It’s significantly more time-consuming than just going in with a brush, but it stops a lot of breakage because you can feel the resistance with your fingers. If you’re only using a brush, you can’t feel that resistance and will likely brush right through the knot — breaking strands as you go. What I look for in a conditioner is how easily I can detangle the majority of my hair using only my fingers.
Aveda passed the test with flying colours.
It detangled So. Easily.
Totally floored.
What usually takes me 20 very painful minutes in the shower took me 10 — Aveda saved me half the time detangling my unruly tendrils. Pretty sure I almost cried with relief. I used a fair bit, but I didn’t care — I could feel my hair softening as I raked the thick and creamy product through.
I left it in for a few minutes, before rinsing it out.
Aveda botanical repair strengthening leave-in treatment
Once the conditioner was rinsed out, I reached for the leave-in. Again, super resistant because I knew I’d just conditioned with a really thick and hydrating product — surely a leave-in from the same brand would stretch out my curls and leave everything in one flat mess…?
Needless to say, that did not happen.
I used a smaller amount of this one because my hair was already tangle-free — probably the size of a bottle top, used my fingers to rake it through the ends of my hair, before using a detangling brush to make sure it was evening distributed. It felt smooth on my hair and brushed through really easily.
I followed with Sashapure curl cream and a gel, wrapped it in a microfibre towel for about 15 minutes, scrunched it, then let it air dry.
The results
My hair hasn’t felt that hydrated for a really, really long time. The curls are thick, full, and hang really nicely around my shoulders. Normally the ends are a tangle of frizz my day two, but that doesn’t happen with Aveda. My hair holds on to the moisture for days and feels soft for days. It’s incredible. And something I honestly didn’t think was possible.
I’ve been using these two products together for about two months now, and I’ve just bought my second bottle of conditioner.
price
The only downside is the price point is quite high. Both products cost between $48 and $52 each, and they’re not large bottles. I find I need to use a fair bit of the conditioner, which means I go through it really quickly, but it’s honestly worth it for me — I save so much time, and my hair feels so much healthier. But I do think these are luxury products and not everyone will be able to budget for them. If that’s the situation you’re in, check out my Shea Moisture review :)
Have you tried Aveda, or is there another brand you use? Let me know in the comments below!
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Ultra Violette Sunscreen: An Honest Review
Looking for a vegan and cruelty-free face sunscreen that is actually good for your skin? I tried Ultra Violette aaand it’s the bomb. Here’s why.
Looking for a vegan and cruelty-free face sunscreen that is actually good for your skin? I tried Ultra Violette aaand it’s the bomb. Here’s why.
(this post contains affiliate links, which just means I’ll get a small commission if you use them. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything extra :)
As someone whose great, great grandparents lived in all places cold, my Frosty The Snowman-esque skin is unable to deal with the harsh Australian rays.
I get burnt. Easily. I once got burnt in the window seat on a plane. It’s real sunny up there and no one was more surprised than me, so now I always wear sunscreen on airplane…and just about everywhere else since I was 19 because, yo, the sun can be great in small doses but over time it ages you and makes you look all leathery and gives you cancer and, as someone who can see the damage it has done, I just think everyone should be wearing sunscreen.
I’ve been on a quest it find a really good one vegan sunscreen for my face for while. I used to use a brand I will not name with SPF 30, which was really quite good for a long time, but I had no idea if it was cruelty-free or vegan, and I eventually realized I was putting it on my face with absolutely no idea what was in it. For all I knew, it could have been aging my skin more than the sun.
I was in Sephora one day and told my boyfriend what I was looking for. He went off looking and came back with Ultra Violette Queen Screen, which I had somehow missed while scanning the store. I looked it up and not only was it vegan and cruelty-free, it was SPF 50 and made by a small Australian company - and if anyone knows how to make good sunscreen, it’s Australians.
I was sold.
I’ve now been using it for about six months and I believe I’ve found the holy grail.
Ultra Violette Vegan Sunscreen
When I look for a face sunscreen, I need something light and non-greasy that will go smoothly and undetected under a full face of foundation.
Not only does Ultra Violette protect your skin from UV rays - according to the bottle - the product is full of antioxidants and will actually help your skin live its best life.
The company has a few different kinds of sunscreen, and I do want to try the waterproof ones, but for now I want to stress that I am only reviewing the Luminising Sun Serum. This is largely because it’s the one Chris found on the day, it had this cool eye-dropper thing and promised to ‘illuminate’ my skin. I would like to try the Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Sunscreen, but we’re sticking with the serum for today.
Review
The Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum comes in a blue glass bottle with a white eye-dropper lid. It’s aesthetically pleasing, the glass means it’s not really light in weight - you wouldn’t just chuck it in your bag, the eye-dropper is smooth and rubbery and everything it should be - it’s quite soft and easy to squeeze and doesn’t feel like it’s going to crack. You can also see the product through the bottle and there is a light sparkle to the serum that shines through. Getting the product out is as easy filling the eye-dropper by squeezing it in the bottle, and then again on to your hand. I don’t know how easy that will be once I start nearing the end, but it’s been about six months and I’m only about halfway through, so I still have quite some time before that happens.
The product is white and it does appear to have tiny flecks of sparkle in it, which I guess is the ‘luminising’ property. I wasn’t crazy about that part because, while it can look great when you’re 19, as you age sparkles like that can make you look older, so I really hoped it would not be too visible under make up.
ingredients
You know how I said earlier that Ultra Violette has ingredients that benefit your skin more than just shielding it from the sun? Well, here it is.
Kakadu Plum: This Australian plum has 50 times more vitamin C in it than an orange and has generally been hailed as an all-round excellent thing to put on your skin. It’s in a bunch of really fancy skin serums and I was kind of stoked to find it was in my sunscreen.
Dragosine Plus: This one apparently keeps your skin feeling bouncy and protects it from the entire solar spectrum. It’s also a powerful anti-aging agent.
There is also a lot of hydrating glycerine to make sure your skin doesn’t dry out. Winner.
Application
The sunscreen feels very smooth to touch and glides easily over skin, spreading smoothly and quickly. Ultra Violette says you should use three eye-droppers worth of product with each application. THREE. I mean, sure, but about half an eye-dropper was more than enough to coat my face…so…that’s a thing.
The serum has a rose scent which you immediately notice, but it doesn’t smell like sunscreen which is excellent. Chris put it on once and said, ‘oh, I smell botanical’ - I think that’s the best way to describe it. Botanical, rose-like, but not overpoweringly so.
Appearance
You are left with a light sparkle to you face after application. It’s not like OMG MY FACE IS COVERED IN GLITTER, but it’s definitely there. Again, not crazy about that part.
When I put make up on, I could not see the sparkle anymore - which is what I wanted. It does mean that if went make up-free I would have a sparkle to my face, buuut I guess that’s fine for now.
The other thing I want to mention is that people of colour often have problems with sunscreens leaving a white cast over their skin. I can’t speak on that issue personally, but from everything I’ve seen and read, apparently Ultra Violette does not leave a white cast, and there seem to be quite a few people with darker skin tones who use the product.
Sooo shimmery
My hand doesn’t usually glow like that
does it work?
Yes! I have not been burnt on my face since using Ultra Violette, besides that one time I went to the beach. Guys, it’s not waterproof. But it doesn’t pretend to be so that was my own fault. I mean, I didn’t use three eye-droppers full that day either, but actually in that instance maybe I should have. The company does have a waterproof sunscreen - the Extreme Screen which is water resistant for 4 hours - and that’s really what I should have used when going to the beach. For everyday use, under make up when not in the water, Queen Screen shields you from the UV rays.
Verdict
At $47 for 50ml, it’s on the pricy end. The company’s suggestion to use three eye-droppers of the stuff every day would definitely mean you’d go through product a lot faster than I do using half an eye-dropper (I’ve had mine for six months and I’m barely halfway through), but I also think it’s for the overall health of your skin so it’s worth it in that respect. The product is also vegan and cruelty-free and Australian-made, so I do think it’s worth supporting a company that values those things.
Along with bonus properties, like Kakadu plum, that help your skin, I think Ultra Violette is actually committed to making quality products.
What’s your favorite sunscreen? Let me know in the comments below!
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AFFILIATES
I use affiliate links and advertising on this site, which just means that if you buy a product through a link on this site, I'll get a small commission (not all links are affiliate links). This is because all the content I provide here is free, and I want to keep it that way :)